Dismissed and failed comlex 3x, what should I do?

[dr. Leslie knope]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

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[jw3600]

Dump your idealistic friends. They are contributing to your ruining your life. Cut your losses and run.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

I would cut your losses and do something else. You can still practice some type of medicine in the medical field. Try nursing, podiatry, or PA-C.

 

[hallowmann]

You're not that far along honestly. You finished two years of medical school. You have 2 more left (along with 3 more board exams), residency apps, then 3 years of residency with inservice exams and board exams.

It's really quite risky to go Carib. I suppose if you could start from second year, try for the USMLE, then cut your losses if you fail it might be worth 1 semester Carib tuition to try, but even if you don't fail, they're are real chances that you might end up with no GME.

You really have to evaluate whether that risk is worth it. Alternatively you could cut your losses and try for something else, like even NP if you're interested.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

You're not that far along honestly. You finished two years of medical school. You have 2 more left (along with 3 more board exams), residency apps, then 3 years of residency with inservice exams and board exams.

It's really quite risky to go Carib. I suppose if you could start from second year, try for the USMLE, then cut your losses if you fail it might be worth 1 semester Carib tuition to try, but even if you do fail, they're are real chances that you might end up with no GME.

You really have to evaluate whether that risk is worth it. Alternatively you could cut your losses and try for something else, like even NP if you're interested.

I don't think there's really much hope here. You can't pretend that you didn't spend 2 years in medical school. Likewise if you didn't pass the comlex on 3 tries why assume you could the usmle?

Your school failed you out because most states will not let you obtain a license even if you did pass your 4th time.

You should cut your losses, get a job you enjoy and apply for Loan Forgiveness.

 

[MackandBlues]

Most states have a maximum attempt number for boards and that's usually allows for 2 failures between ALL the exams: 1, 2, and 3. So really you cannot get a medical license even if you were able to pass it on the 4th time.


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[AlbinoHawk DO]

I'm really sorry this is happening to you, OP, but I do think it is time to accept the losses. If you finished 2 years of med school, I think it indicates that you might be able to succeed if you went to Nursing then NP if you wish to have a role in prescription/patient care. Alternatively you can try for podiatric medicine.

 

[0ncogene]

This is a blessing in disguise. Trust me. The application process for residency is not easy, and so is intern year and residency.

 

[thepoopologist]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

If you haven't taken the USMLE then I suppose an MD school is possible, but the USMLE is a more difficult test and I wonder how reasonable it is to bet an additional 2 years of loans that you'll pass them all on the first try, with good to excellent scores, which is what you need to get out of the Caribbean to a residency. 2 years and thousand of dollars in debt is tough to walk away from, however I assure you it is easier to walk away from than 4 years of debt and poor chances at matching, which is what you would've faced had you progressed with 2 failures and a 3rd attempt pass on the Step 1.

 

[hallowmann]

Most states have a maximum attempt number for boards and that's usually allows for 2 failures between ALL the exams: 1, 2, and 3. So really you cannot get a medical license even if you were able to pass it on the 4th time.


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This is true in many states, but there actually are a number where that is not the case. Now this completely ignores the fact that all states require at least some GME, and that would be almost impossible to get with 3 failures on one Level.

For reference:
https://www.fsmb.org/licensure/usmle-step-3/state_specific

The real concerning thing though is that OP didn't improve at all on retakes. All were in the same margin of error, and all were below passing by a decent amount. While some states let you do 4 or 5 or unlimited attempts (although I think the NBOME caps at 6) if you failed 3 with no improvement, what really are the chances you'll pass on the 4th.

OP there's an easy way to test how you'll do on the USMLE. Unlike the COMSAEs, the NBMEs are much more representative. Study for and take one and see if you pass by a good margin. If you fail, I really don't think I'd go to the Carib.

 

[Mad Jack]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

If you can't pass the COMLEX, you can't pass the USMLE. It's a much more difficult exam on a much more brutal curve. The upside to going Carib is that, if you were so inclined, you could try to hide your DO past when applying for residency and effectively have a clean slate. If you were caught, you'd be screwed forever though, so I wouldn't recommend it. And you probably would fall the USMLE or have subpar scores anyway, leading to you not matching even with a clean slate. Cut your losses, find a new field. Good luck.

 

[Mad Jack]

Most states have a maximum attempt number for boards and that's usually allows for 2 failures between ALL the exams: 1, 2, and 3. So really you cannot get a medical license even if you were able to pass it on the 4th time.


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Not true- the harshest ones I've seen are either two failures of a single exam or three failures across all exams max.

 

[hallowmann]

Not true- the harshest ones I've seen are either two failures of a single exam or three failures across all exams max.

To clarify, there is one that is 2 attempts per exam (Alaska), meaning 1 failure and 1 pass to still be eligible in some states.

Texas, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Arkansas, and Alaska are states that OP wouldn't be eligible to get licensed in as a DO with 3 Level 1 failures. That still leaves 42 others, but there's a handful of others where the OP would have to pass on every Level attempt from here on out.

 

[abolt18]

OP, how long after each attempt did you have to prepare for the subsequent attempt?

What did you do differently each time?

Even if you did do something different, what will you do differently now if given another chance?

You've demonstrated 3 times that you cannot meet the minimum required competency to proceed further in your education, do you feel like you could safely care for patients in the physician role with this gap in knowledge?

This may come across as harsh or insensitive, but I think these are real questions you must ask yourself. You don't need to answer any of these questions for us here, but reflect on it.

There are a lot of other options that can involve you in patient care, healthcare, etc. that don't carry the same burden or require the same knowledge base as being a physician. I have a close friend who withdrew from med school after being asked to repeat a year, he's now working in healthcare administration and finishing his MBA. You could go to anesthesia assistant school, podiatry school, or PA school.

In my opinion, you should cut your losses and find something else.

 

[ortnakas]

If you can't pass the COMLEX, you can't pass the USMLE. It's a much more difficult exam on a much more brutal curve. The upside to going Carib is that, if you were so inclined, you could try to hide your DO past when applying for residency and effectively have a clean slate. If you were caught, you'd be screwed forever though, so I wouldn't recommend it. And you probably would fall the USMLE or have subpar scores anyway, leading to you not matching even with a clean slate. Cut your losses, find a new field. Good luck.

Agree with this. I took both, and thought the USMLE was considerably more difficult (and where I landed percentile-wise on both reflects that). While I hate to admit it, there's a reason a lot of DO schools strongly discourage the weaker students from taking the USMLE.

OP, how long after each attempt did you have to prepare for the subsequent attempt?

What did you do differently each time?

Even if you did do something different, what will you do differently now if given another chance?

These are the really key questions.

 

[Goro]

Very sorry to hear of this, but now it's time for Plan B

 

[AMEHigh]

It seems like the end of the world at the moment, but it isn't. "Grieve" for a day or 2 and then come up with your next steps to finding another career. Do not go to a Caribbean school. There are plenty of other careers in the medical field that you can pursue. Being a doctor isn't the only way to have a successful career.

 

[DrMikeP]

Go for PA school. You are not helping yourself by going Caribbean if your goal is to ever practice in the US. If you want to practice outside the US then shoot for med school in Cuba.

Good luck

 

[Newtonian21]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

Dude! What happened? Did you not learn anything in your school, or is it the way you're studying? This is just sad to know after all theses years of MCAT, med school, and then failing out. Are you sound emotionally? Is something going in your life that is affecting you emotionally?

 

[DocWinter]

Agree with the sentiment that if you cannot crack minimums on comlex you have no business trying the usmle.

Seeing that your first attempt was your closest to passing and you have made no improvement over three times, you unfortunately have dug yourself into a hole that probably could have been prevented had you rung the alarm bell after the first fail and had a stronger plan for take two.

Your feeling that you can pass the 4th time is pretty much unsubstantiated optimism. Unless you can get solid answers to the questions such as abolt18 posed and some serious mentoring, ditch it and move on in another field

 

[JustPlainBill]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

I'm usually pretty encouraging with people who have struggled -- been there, done that myself --- but in this case, I agree with other posters -- it's time to cut your losses --

1) Your scores actually decreased with each iteration so there's no reasonable assumption of passing with the 4th attempt.
2) If you had difficulty with the basic medical information presented during the first 2 years as reflected in your comlex scores, you will likely struggle during 3rd year when you're expected to begin synthesizing that information into workable blocks -- and then comes COMLEX Level 2.
3) Assuming that a state will allow licensure with 3 failures, you would need to have a really, really good explanation of what happened when applying to residency and then expect to go to some hellhole nobody wants to be a part of anyway.
4) When it comes to residency, the PDs are all about -- "Do I think this person can pass the 3rd step exam?" as it impacts their residency and more importantly, their paycheck -- You would have major questions/red flags for this question.


Believe me -- being a doc is something you need to carefully consider -- some days, I really just want to go do something else -- it's not the idealistic dream job that everyone makes it out to be -- and truthfully, the pay isn't all that great for the amount of work it takes and what you're expected to do -- the job can/will consume your life if you let it. yes, I get it, you're part of an elite club, etc., etc. ad infinitum -- phooey on that --

I would say it's time to call it and go find something else to do that you enjoy --

 

[W19]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

Consider NP... Even if you were to pass step1 on your 4th attempt, you are bound to become a PCP anyway, which you can also do with a NP degree.

 

[W19]

Go for PA school. You are not helping yourself by going Caribbean if your goal is to ever practice in the US. If you want to practice outside the US then shoot for med school in Cuba.

Good luck

Not sure PA school will accept OP... His/her best chance is NP, which OP can do in 3 years.

 

[DrMikeP]

Not sure PA school will accept OP... His/her best chance is NP, which OP can do in 3 years.

That could be very true, but PA at some programs will involve taking some of the same classes and might best fit the OP. IMO worth it for the OP to explore both and see which is best.

OP... do some reading into exam/board requirements and licensure. It might help ease the transition if you find it would be impossible to get licensed in the state(s) you would want to likely practice. Also, do some reading and see if anyone has ever made it through after 3 fails. I don't know of anyone, but it could be helpful for you to know.

 

[787259]

So I'm in a very crappy situation. I've failed my comlex level I three times and was dismissed from my school. I've appealed the dismissal to take it one more time but the dean did not accept my appeal, he said I was better off doing something else. I've thought about other careers, but I feel like I've come so far to stop now, I still really want to become a doctor. Some of my friends told me to start a new career but others have said to not give up on my dream. I know that trying to continue is going to be hard if not impossible but I'll never know until I try. I just wanted some opinions on what I should I do next.

My scores were 388, 387, 362. Each time I took the test I felt confident and my practice test scores are between 400 and 500, so I don't know why my real scores don't reflect that. I feel like I will pass it the 4th time around.

Even if I want to go back, how do I? My dean said no other schools will accept me. So I guess my only options are Caribbean, but I would have to take the usmle.

Should I start another career and then after a few years apply to medical school again?

I am currently in a very similar situation. I'm sorry for your pain, I know its real. As with me, I am sure there is an underlying reason that you have struggled with the COMLEX exams. I am also trying to figure out what path to follow next....try to retake, off-shore school, another medical profession, or do something totally different. Where are your thoughts right now?

 

[BetaAlpha89]

Sorry for your dismissal. Unfortunately, with your academic record, it is unlikely that any US medical school would take you. I highly highly advise against carribean. PA schools are very unlikely as well to take you, since most have a policy of not taking medical students. Some, including my local PA school, screen below 3.5 GPA even if they are at a medical school and won't let even students in good academic standing transfer. Your best bet to continue in clinical medicine is nursing school, and maybe they'll even transfer some credits. Otherwise, if you did a non science major in undergrad, maybe you could use that. You could do pharmaceutical/surgical equipment sales, MSW and do social work etc.